lend
Americanverb (used with object)
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lends,
present (3rd person singular)
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lent,
past participle, past
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lending
present participle
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to grant the use of (something) on condition that it or its equivalent will be returned.
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to give (money) on condition that it is returned and often that interest is paid for its temporary use.
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to give or contribute obligingly or helpfully.
to lend one's aid to a cause.
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to adapt (oneself or itself ) to something.
The building should lend itself to inexpensive remodeling.
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to furnish or impart.
Distance lends enchantment to the view.
verb (used without object)
-
lends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
lent,
past participle, past
-
lending
present participle
idioms
verb
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(tr) to permit the use of (something) with the expectation of return of the same or an equivalent
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to provide (money) temporarily, often at interest
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(intr) to provide loans, esp as a profession
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(tr) to impart or contribute (something, esp some abstract quality)
her presence lent beauty
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(tr) to provide, esp in order to assist or support
he lent his skill to the company
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to listen
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to possess the right characteristics or qualities for
the novel lends itself to serialization
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to give support, cooperation, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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lendsimple
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lendssimple
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have lentperfect
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has lentperfect
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am lendingprogressive
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are lendingprogressive
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is lendingprogressive
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have been lendingperfect progressive
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has been lendingperfect progressive
Past
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lentsimple
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had lentperfect
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was lendingprogressive
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were lendingprogressive
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had been lendingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of lend
First recorded before 900; from Middle English lenden, variant (originally past tense) of lenen, Old English lǣnan (cognate with Dutch lenen, German lehnen, Old Norse lāna ), derivative of lǣn loan; cognate with German Lehnen, Old Norse lān; see loan 1
Explanation
When you lend something, you loan it or let someone borrow it. You might, for example, lend your bike to your brother — if he promises to be careful with it. Libraries lend people books, and car rental companies lend people cars — in both cases, the item that's been borrowed is supposed to be returned eventually. Another way to lend is to "add a quality to," or "be suitable for." You could say that you think your hat lends you a mysterious quality, or that your trench coat lends itself to walking through a foggy city at dusk.
Vocabulary lists containing lend
"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 17
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Unit 17, Lesson 4
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Give
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"It wasn't actually something we had in mind when we were developing the exhibition, or even when we asked the National Gallery if they would lend this painting," he explained.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
It is not his first out-of-state trip to lend a hand in campaigns, but likely one of his last as governor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
Ehrsam’s expertise in the sector could lend itself to opportunities in Venezuela’s ecosystem of digital payments, some of the people familiar with his efforts said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
"Central banks can more easily lend their gold there to other banking institutions," he added.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
I found I was wishing Mr. Loomis would lend him the suit, though I could understand why he would not.
From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien
Honesty has always been Griffin’s superpower, and in this new chapter it lends her the air of a happy warrior.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
I’m about to dismiss this guide as a wuss when a sudden burst of deafening growls just beyond the edge of our campsite lends credence to his words.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Like Smyth, he believes Northern Ireland lends itself perfectly to film-making.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
The strong presence of mosquito remains also lends support to the idea that prey carcasses may sometimes have been stored in ponds or marshy environments, where mosquitoes would have laid their eggs.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026
Communal learning lends itself to performing in a circle, and indeed most game songs are performed in a circle.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Lloyds lent them £258,000 - roughly 98% of the property's value - over a 33-year term and they only had to put down £5,000 as a deposit.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Had they been plastered, clad in ceramic, or built in raw concrete, they would have lent tangible weight and heft to the vaults.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Thomas Bachellerie, who used to manage a games shop in Lyon, warned that second-hand sales sometimes made up almost a third of stores' turnover -- a problem since digital games "cannot be resold or lent".
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
He has lent his campaign more than $1.6 million and failed to provide the personal disclosure information required of federal candidates.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
There was still some part of him, however, that was as credulous as the little kid who lent his new bike to a total stranger.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
The World Bank’s backing from member countries allows for a significant volume of lending on its own.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Major US banks JP Morgan, KeyCorp, and BNY all raised their prime lending rate on Wednesday to 7% from 6.75%, which will affect rates charged on credit cards and personal loans.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
“Tight lending conditions and elevated land, labor and construction costs persist,” Robert Dietz, chief economist at the NAHB, said in a statement.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
And, yes, the economic backdrop can affect lending standards and how willing banks are to extend credit.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
Hazel and Etta had both been good about lending her their best clothes—considering that they weren’t supposed to come to the party.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
